


The Right Partner (In Crime)

by Miss_Katherine (for_steggy)



Category: Agent Carter (Marvel Short Film), Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Awesome Peggy Carter, Cap 2 Steve/Season 1 Agent Carter Peggy, F/M, Gen, No Plot/Plotless, Oneshot, Oops, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is my literal dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22165993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_steggy/pseuds/Miss_Katherine
Summary: When Steve gets thrown back in time right before the events of Winter Soldier, Peggy gets to see his new (scarily impressive) combat capabilities.
Relationships: Peggy Carter & Edwin Jarvis, Peggy Carter & Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	The Right Partner (In Crime)

**Author's Note:**

> No actual explanation, but Steve jumps out of the jet in the beginning of Cap 2 and lands in 1947...or Agent Carter season 1 (because ya, I don't like season 2. Don't @ me). 
> 
> I wrote this because every time I watch Winter Soldier I mourn that Peggy isn't in it, and I always wonder what she would have thought of the new and improved Steve.

They scanned the room. It was industrial and sparse, but to trained eyes it was clearly an operation setup. She heard a shoe scuff up against something, and turned to see Steve jerk his head to the side, listening. They glanced at each other. He pulled out his shield, she pulled out her gun. Retreating back, he motioned with two fingers to get behind him. Peggy might have rolled her eyes in a different situation, but now was not the time.

Four men appeared. Judging from the shuffling above, at least ten more were on the way. She shot one down, and grazed another in the arm, causing him to drop his gun and run at her. She took another shot that bounced off the wall as the man blocked her hand, but it went into his other arm making him stumble back. The reaction was instantaneous as her weapon was hit out of her grasp and flew across the concrete floor — she threw a punch, dodged and slammed the man unconscious against the wall with a brutal kick of her heel.

Within that time she had been faintly aware of the sound of metallic clinks and bodies dropping heavily to the ground. She glanced over as Steve caught his shield. They looked at each other, the adrenaline vibrating between them. He broke the look and motioned over his shoulder for her to go ahead.

“What about you?”

“I got it.”

“Right. Ok,” she gave a quick nod. It had been what seemed like forever since Peggy could trust someone other than herself on missions, and she had forgotten what it felt like: damn good.

Gun retrieved, she didn't wait to look back as she headed down the dark corridor, the red lights pulsing overhead allowing her to make out the way. Cautiously, with gun up, she peered into several offices and finally came across what they'd been looking for. Filing cabinet after filing cabinet stretched out in the large space. “Bloody Nora,” she hissed, and finally finding the correct drawer, yanked it open impatiently.

Meanwhile, Steve had already knocked out eleven of the fifteen highly trained special ops in a matter of a few minutes, despite blocking the shower of bullets directed at his shield. He wasn't really breaking a sweat, but he was beginning to wonder how long he could fend off the onslaught before having to move the fight into a passage way, which would inevitably separate him from Peggy. He wondered where she was.

Peggy scanned as best she could for the file, when there was suddenly a noise coming from down the hall. Thankfully, she found the item in question and ducked behind a desk right as a pair of footsteps came into the room, and then went quite. She couldn't draw attention with her gun; her heartbeat was audible in her ears as she listened for a giveaway. One…two…three — silent and swift, she lunged across at the figure, disarming it before landing a punch to the throat and finally swiveling around in one clean motion for a chokehold. There was some struggling, but after a few moments it stopped. She picked up her things, wiped the sweat from her lip, and headed out.

As the sounds of combat grew nearer she was increasingly feeling some anxiety for Steve, despite knowing perfectly well he could probably take on an army himself.

Taking cover around a corner, she saw him then. There were about eleven or twelve bodies laying unconscious as he went head to head with the last three men. They were obviously top tier, specially trained, but they'd been disarmed earlier. The whole thing didn't seem fair. Poor bastards.

It had been years since she’d seen Steve in action, but even that couldn't blind her to how different this was. She remembered him fighting with unrestrained energy and force, but without any thorough training. What she was seeing now she guessed to be taking from some form of martial arts. He was a well oiled machine. It was scarily impressive.

The shield had been hit across the floor, and without it he was showing his full range in hand to hand combat — a mix of what she had seen previously, with an agility and skill that had been the work of study. She thought about taking a shot at the largest one, but didn't want to hit him by accident. He clearly had it under control, anyway.

Peggy decided to sit back and watch. Number 1 was weakening visibly as he took the brunt while the other two recovered. When Steve swept the ground in a move, making him lose balance, it ended in a deadening roundhouse kick to the chest. Number 1 flew back and hit the ground, unmoving. Number 2 came up, but was wearing down quickly, throwing as many blows as he could muster with the last of his strength, all of them being blocked and returned as 3 came from behind and tried to get Steve in a hold. It was no use; 3 was flipped crashing into 2 sending them backwards. Steve ran at them, coiled in the air and sent a double legged kick to 3’s chest and they both went down. There would be no walking away from that one.

Peggy saw Steve land on his back and use the momentum to propel himself up in one swift move. It had all happened in a matter of less than twenty seconds.

Watching him fight made her realize just how foreign to her he was, or rather, how much more experienced he was than before. It gave her a pang, but she pushed it away quickly.

“That’s…well, its just not fair, really.” She said, trying to sound nonchalant.

His head went up, a slow smirk spreading over his face as he gave a little shrug. He moved forward, looking down at her intently. “You’re late.”

“On time, actually. Just enjoying the show.” She stepped backwards, breezily waving the file in front of her. “Shall we, Captain?”

Brought back to reality, he nodded and quickly lead the way to the exit. If there weren't more pressing matters at hand, Peggy would have indulged in a little self congratulating smile at Steve’s ability to become distracted by her. At least that, it seemed, would never change.

They found the car were they had left it behind a hedge and rushed into the back seat. Both were still a bit breathless, whether from exhilaration or adrenaline, neither could properly tell.

“Drive on, Mr. Jarvis,” she directed.

“I trust everything went according to plan, Miss carter, Captain Rodgers,” Jarvis said, looking in the rearview mirror.

“Yes, well, hm. You could say so,” Peggy responded. Steve was still wrapping his head around the whole Jarvis thing.

“I did happen a chance at two cars passing, both of which looked to be headed to your destination. But, seeing as you’re both here in one piece, my worries seem to have been for naught.”

“Undoubtedly,” Peggy said shortly, to which he gave her a sort of small, disapproving frown.

Steve turned away to stifle a laugh.

After a few moments being settled in, Peggy glanced over at him to see an absent smile on Steve's face as he watched the road. “What?” she asked eyeing him closely.

He looked over, his train of thought still lingering. “Nothing, just…It’s nice.” He motioned between them, and the corner of her mouth tugged up. “This.”

His familiar quaintness was reassuring, and it made her laugh. “Only Steve Rogers would describe getting shot at and almost killed as, ‘nice.’”

He just shook his head slightly, sheepish smile stretching a bit bigger.

Watching him, her heart swelled. She rested her hand on his, and he looked up to see the teasing gone, replaced with a steady warmth in her eyes.

It was strange and wonderful, and right, that they could settle back into this partnership so quickly. She had feared before that the dynamic would change. The reason why their connection had been so strong in the first place was because neither of them belonged. With Steve having come into his own without her, it seemed as if it would be easy for him to fit in anywhere, and it made her wonder after he had told her of his other life. She knew he loved her, and yet wondered if it was enough. But it was obvious now— Captain America could belong anywhere, but that didn't mean Steve Rogers could. He needed this just as much as she did.

They were partners, and nothing could replace that.

Steve only released her hand when he went around to open the car door for her. Mr. Jarvis looked on with incredulity as she thanked him, noting to later recount it to his wife.

Steve walked Peggy up to her room, and when they arrived stood in the hallway. His gaze was shifting from her eyes to her mouth, and she could see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Steve,” she said softly, and the second she took the step forward he descended upon her, one arm pulling her by the waist, the other tentatively coming up to brush her cheek as he kissed her.

She sighed when they pulled apart, feeling a slight bit unsteady. The smile on his face was just like the one he had in the corridor at Schmidt’s Hydra lair, and just like then her knees threatened to wobble unbecomingly.

He brushed a finger over her cheek, and then turned to go to his own room.

“My darling,” she whispered to herself as she watched his retreating figure.

Peggy then slipped into her own quarters and promptly slumped against the door. She was shocked; Steve Rogers finally figured his way around a woman.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first actual fanfic I ever wrote *wipes away nostalgic tear*, so I apologize for any errors.
> 
> If I wasn't so lazy I might be tempted to workshop this into a multi fic that basically set Cap 2 in the forties with Peggy instead of Natasha being the spy. But alas. 
> 
> I would love to hear any thoughts! :)


End file.
